The Influence of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions on Innovation- and Sustainability-Oriented Project Adoption by Cooperatives

This study examines how Hofstede’s cultural dimensions explain cooperatives’ tendency to embrace innovative sustainable social economy projects. The study employs a quantitative cross-sectional design using a standardized survey of 499 Spanish cooperatives with no record of implementing such projects. The results suggest that collectivism, long-term orientation, and high power distance strongly predict cooperatives’ willingness to adopt innovative sustainable social economy projects. Cluster analysis reveals two cultural profiles of cooperatives. Cooperatives in the cluster defined by collectivism, long-term vision, and low uncertainty avoidance appear to have the highest adoption propensity. This finding demonstrates that Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory offers a powerful framework to explain cooperatives’ adoption of innovation- and sustainability-oriented social economy projects, even though the effects of masculinity and indulgence appear to be weak or nonsignificant. A major implication of this research is therefore that cultural dimensions should be considered in policy design and cooperative support programs. This research extends the scope of application of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory to the social economy, specifically innovation in cooperatives. It also demonstrates that culturally relevant interventions boost the effectiveness of sustainability-oriented programs. Future research should study longitudinal data sets and qualitative data to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomena discussed in this paper.